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The Amaryllis: 8 Lessons in balance for business success

Wednesday Feb 5, 2014

As women entrepreneurs we lead very busy lives from the moment the alarm goes off in the morning we are up making breakfast, chauffeuring kids to schools, working a longer than average day catering to the needs of customers, to our staff, and to our community. By the time the after school lessons, sports games, dinner, homework, and baths are done we are ready to crash into bed.

But this juggling act is more stressful than we think and it takes its toil on our performance and our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

When I was leading my company through its second growth phase I was working around the clock.  Business plans, systems and processes needed upgrading, the right staff needed to be recruited and trained, and financial instruments needed to be put in place. While I was busy at work I felt I was in balance as I was still able to put dinner on the table (through various creative means), run 10km three days to keep fit, and meet family and social commitments. What I didn’t know was that there is a lot more to balance than just making it through a day, composed and “upright”.

 

I discovered that balance is really about proportion. The right proportion of time spent in the right areas leads to unity, harmony, sustainability and growth.

I learnt about balance by observing the growth of the magnificent flowering Amaryllis plant.  This extraordinary plant that grows from a single bulb, sprouts four huge blooms, and perfectly balances these blooms on one stalk with support from a series of leaves.

Here are 8 Things I learned about balance from the Amaryllis Plant:

  1. You need to be well grounded
  2. You don’t need a lot of water to grow, just enough
  3. The experience of growth leads to the experience of balance. You can’t have one without the other.
  4. Sometimes you need to change direction to maintain balance
  5. Balance is not found through speed but moment by moment
  6. A positive, sunny environment is important
  7. Moving ahead is a necessity even if some days appear slower than others
  8. The journey to discovering balance never ends as what appears an end is only the beginning of a next phase.

The time spent in nature observing, questioning and listening has lead me to a new understanding of what balance and ‘being in balance’ is all about. Nature truly does teach us everything we need to know.

As women entrepreneurs it is important to schedule time for our moments of serenity and self-reflection in order to balance out how much of ourselves we give away. These small moments which we take for ourselves  leads to greater happiness, better relationships, and to our business success.

2 Comments »

  1. Gage Hutchens says:

    Balance and the longer view; Good metaphor! I appreciated this thank you.

  2. Elizabeth Gage says:

    Thank you for your feedback. It is appreciated.

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